Life After Her
by J'adore-SVU
Summary: After 20 years and four kids, Elliot deals with tumultuous breakdown of his marriage after realizing that Kathy isn't the one. But does that mean that Olivia is?
1. Life as a Detective Sucks

A/N: Hey everyone, this is going to be O/E as most of you "out of the box" thinkers supposed. Enjoy and review, all comments and suggestions are accepted as usual. Sorry bout the mild language at the end and for the mis spellings I have; spell check isn't working :(.  
  
-Kermie  
  
Life started early as usual; a quarter to five in the morning. He started off his routine with a quick shower, shave, and putting on his trademark suit and matching tie. He grabbed his badge from the night stand as well as putting on his watch.  
  
After completing his routine he kissed Kathy on the cheek. Her face became acute, her eyebrows in an angry arch as she pushed him away. Elliot reluctantly pulled himself together and watched as she turned to her other side, moaning "goodbye Elliot."  
  
He started to reminisce when he first wed her. She was pregnant at the time with Maureen, and he just returned from the marines. Their nuptials were great, complete with family and friends. They were the perfect couple......all smiles. Their honeymoon was blissful, apart from the fact that they weren't doing the things most couples do on their honeymoon; because she was pregnant. The years to come were filled with happiness and three more kids. He would get up in the morning, and kiss her on the forehead. Instead of resisting she kissed back. Now she barely said a word to him, never mind show affection. What had gone wrong, would remain a mystery to him.  
  
He had been working at the SVU for about five years now. He saw the gruesome crimes that shaped the career he chose. Everyday he dealed with rape, murder, abuse, etc. Kathy got used to the late nights, the sympathy drinks with Olivia. When he came home she was asleep, when she got up, he was gone. Their marriage and relationship had come to a head; like a pimple that wouldn't go away.  
  
Elliot left downstairs to find a tired Kathleen in the kitchen pouring orange juice into a glass and drinking it down. She was wearing a tight pink tee shirt with a denim skirt.  
  
"Little cold for that don't you think?", he asked.  
  
"Not really.....", she replied. She grabbed her bookbag and her coat and told him, "I'll be in the car." Elliot turned off all the lights and locked the door. Kathleen was sitting in the car with the egnition running. Elliot got into the front seat and was greeted with the sound of rap music. He stared at Kathleen to let her know to turn it off or turn it down, but she ignored his request.  
  
"Kathleen c......", he began. She took it as a warning and turned it off before he could finish. Elliot took off until he reached the corner of where her school was.  
  
"Daddy, stop here!", she warned him. He stopped and stared at the crowd of people about ten yeards away from them. She thanked him, and he leaned in for a kiss goodbye. She dodged his farwell and wished him goodbye. He waited until she got to the crowd of people. He drove off thinking about the time Maureen was like that; it was a phase.  
  
About ten minutes later he reached the precinct. Munch and Fin were inside and were talking to Olivia about a rape case. Elliot began to wonder if the only reason he came to work was to see his friends. They greeted each other with "hellos" and "what's up?'s" until Cragen gave them their assignments.  
  
Olivia and Elliot were paired together as usual. They went down to the house of a rape victim to interrogate her. They asked her the usual questions, "who?", "what?", "when?", "where?", and "how?", before conforting her fears. They were finished before they knew it, and called Fin and Munch about the suspect. He was in custody a few minutes later.  
  
It was a quiet February afternoon unlike any other. Elliot couldn't remember a time when the precinct was a quiet place, or where no one was coming in with an assault charge.  
  
"So, what do we do now captain?", Elliot asked.  
  
"There's nothing here for you to do Elliot. How 'bout you guys just go home and I'll give you a shout if anything comes up.", Cragen suggested.  
  
"Good idea.", Olivia answered and everyone else agreed. Olivia asked Elliot for a ride home.  
  
"Isn't this great; going home at four o'clock?", she asked him.  
  
"Better believe it.....", he answered. Olivia could sense that he wasn't himself. The way he talked, walked, even looked suggested that things weren't good at home. She proposed a get together to lighten his spirits.  
  
"Um.....do you want to go for a drink later?", she asked.  
  
"I doubt it....I have to help the twins with homework", he lied. She could tell he was just trying to avoid a good time. She just shrugged and said, "Ok." He smiled at her as he got to the front entrance of her apartment building. She wished him good bye as she closed the door. He beeped the horn as he drove away. Going to work was the easy part, coming home was the hard.  
  
He pulled into the driveway, the mini van parked, which meant she was home. "Surprise, surprise.", he said as he opened the door. No response came. He walked down stairs to the laundry room, thinking she was there, but no sign of her. Rushing upstairs, he found the bedroom door open and Kathy was on the phone.  
  
".........I miss you too.......Oh yea?.......Hmmm hmmm, well we'll have to wait until no one here is home, or I could just go over there......Yea, he doesn't come home until late.....I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to fool around.", she spoke in a romantic tone. Elliot was furious and knocked on the door. She turned around and hung up the phone without saying goodbye.  
  
"El....what are you....", she began nervously. Elliot was the angriest he had ever been.  
  
"Who the hell was that?", he inquired furiously. "Who are you fuckin' Kath, huh!?"  
  
"Elliot, you have the....", she answered. She started to tear as she tried to explain. He walked over to her.  
  
"Shut up! What are you doing to me?", he asked.  
  
"I'm sorry...", she said as she tried to grab his hand.  
  
"You're sorry!?!", he answered yelling but at the same time pulling his hand away. "WHO IS THE BASTARD THAT'S NAILING MY WIFE!?"  
  
"No...."  
  
"Kath.....", he stopped. He turned around and left rampaging down the stairs. She followed in pursuit. He grabbed his coat and got into the car. She was standing on the driveway balling as well as yelling. He ignored her pleas of forgiveness and drove off. He past the gas station where Kathleen worked part time after school. He pulled into a dead in street and cooled himself off. Taking out his wallet he examined his wedding photo. It always seemed to stand as his safety; his rock. He noticed that the happy couple in the photo were now raving lunatics that bit each other's neck off every time they spoke. He started to cry as he realized that his life had produced four kids and a broken marriage, but as he shed a tear he realized that crying wouldn't save it. He sat alone in silence for a while and finally told himself, "It was coming.....It was coming."  
  
He picked up his cell phone, and waited until the dial tone produced a familiar voice.  
  
"Are you still up for that drink?", he offered. He realized that at that moment the head that the pimple created had gone away in an instant, representing the estrangement he had with Kathy. He drove back down to the city, where he let go and released his anger to that one person who would actually listen.  
  
*So what did you think? R+R Please!* 


	2. A Single Life

A/N: Thanks for all the support. Sorry about the foul language in the middle. R + R when you have the chance, all comments are accepted.  
  
Elliot, what's up?" Olivia asked as she sat next to him on the barstool. Elliot just took another sip of his beer and put his arm around Olivia. "Well oh well, Olivia.... Don't you look hot in those jeans." Elliot said and Olivia laughed embarrassed and looked around the bar..  
  
"El, what's going on?", she asked.  
  
"You are." he answered. Olivia realized he was hammered out of his mind. She walked to the end of the bar where the bartender was.  
  
"Mac, how many has Elliot had?" she asked him. She'd known him for the past four years.  
  
"He's been drinking vodka like a lunatic." he replied. Olivia nodded her head and thought to herself 'what's going on?' She walked back over to him and took the drink away from him.  
  
"What was that?" he asked.  
  
"I'm bringing you home." she replied. Elliot arched his eyebrows and pulled away from her. It seemed like he sobered up already.  
  
"No....no Liv. I'm not going back to that cheating bitch.", he said. Olivia let go of his arm.  
  
"Elliot, what's going on?" she asked. Elliot looked at her and laughed. He buried his face in his arms. She looked at him pitifully, and rubbed his back. "Tell me El." He lifted his head and tried to hide the tear running down his face.  
  
"I got home and she was on the phone...telling some fucker she loved him and wanted to see him again. I yelled at her, and I wanted to kill them both so bad. I ran downstairs, and she cried....", Elliot stopped and cried. "SHE CRIED and begged me to stop, but I just drove away......What about the kids? What about the TWENTY FUCKING YEARS I wasted with her. I loved her." Olivia looked around the bar and now everyone was looking at them.  
  
"Shhhh.", she comforted him. "I think you need time to cool down." She took him by the arm and lead her to his car. They were only a few blocks from her house so she drove his car to the outside of her apartment. He was silent the whole way there. She parked the car outside the apartment building and lead him up to her apartment. When they entered she turned on the lights and he made his way to the couch. Olivia immediately got a glass of water and an aspirin and gave them to Elliot. He swallowed the pill and the water within a few seconds.  
  
"Thanks.." he said. "I'll just camp out here on the couch."  
  
  
"No problem. Let me just get you some blankets.", Olivia replied and went into her room and got some blankets. She came back out and found Elliot asleep already. She smiled and wrapped his body with the blankets. She went into her bedroom and watched TV until she fell asleep.  
  
(Six Hours Later)  
  
Elliot was asleep on Olivia's couch and awoke with the vibration of his cell phone.  
  
"What the hell?", he asked as he looked at the window on his phone. It displayed "1 New Message". He dialed his voicemail number, entered his password, and listened to the message. It was Kathleen, sounding very distraught.  
  
"Daddy, it's Kathleen. Where are you? Mom, Dickey, Lizzie, and Me are in Grandma's. Please....come back, I miss you." Elliot could tell from her voice that she was upset. He closed his phone and rolled on his side. He felt that within the past twelve hours his life was spinning out of control. He could feel the pain in Kathleen's voice and now he couldn't sleep. The message played back in his head over and over. Having enough, Elliot decided he had to leave and made some coffee. He figured it would keep him awake. He grabbed a napkin next to the sink and wrote a note to Olivia.  
  
Liv,  
  
Thanks for you hospitality. I'll see you at work.  
  
Elliot.  
  
  
  
He tiptoed out the door and made as little of noise as possible. He got into the car and drove back to his house in Queens. Many times he had to turn on the radio, to keep him awake. It was four o'clock in the morning, and he wasn't supposed to be up for another hour and a half.  
  
  
  
About fifteen minutes later he pulled into the driveway that he'd been pulling into for the past nineteen years, but only this time it was drastically different. The blue minivan he purchased for Kathy was gone, all the lights were off and all the beds were empty. He took a shower in a final attempt to keep himself awake, plus the fact that he smelt of smoke and beer. He changed into his normal work clothes and never once looked back at the wedding photo next to his bed. For the first time in nineteen years he also didn't wear the gold wedding band; a scary thought for a devout Catholic.  
  
  
  
He didn't feel like crying, he was all out of tears. He knew that they day he didn't wear his wedding ring, would be the day he would be signing divorce papers. With another forty five minutes to spare until work, Elliot needed to talk to his kids. Although it was a little late for the younger ones, Kathleen would be getting up soon for school. Plus, he decided that it was time Kathy and he talked about things. He hesitated at first to go or not, but grandma only lived ten minutes from home.  
  
Meanwhile, Olivia smiled in her sleep at the smell of draining coffee from the kitchen. She was dreaming that she was having breakfast in bed, funny enough. The smell of the coffee got the better of her by the end, and she was awake. Her clock was going to go off anyways in a few minutes. She put on her robe and went into the kitchen turning on the lights.  
  
  
  
"C'mon sleepy head. Time to get up...." she said to Elliot. She heard nothing else coming from him, not even a moan. "Elliot?" she walked around the kitchen table and found a note from Elliot near the sink where he left it. She read the note and asked herself, "Where did he go?" Elliot, however was going somewhere Olivia would have never guessed. He arrived at his mother in law's place. He saw the blue van. A light was on in the kitchen, probably Kathleen. He knocked on the door lightly. He could hear the footsteps coming and someone unlocking the door.  
  
  
  
"Daddy......" whispered Kathleen. Tears suddenly filled her eyes as she leaped into his arms clinging to him desperately. "I missed you so much, why are we here? Are you and mom getting divorced?" she cried. Before Elliot could answer, another voice came from behind the door. "Kathleen, what are you do...", said Kathy who was adjusting her robe but stopped all activity at the site of her estranged husband. "El...." she whispered looking away from him. "Kathleen, go inside...." she instructed. "Daddy, can we talk later?" she asked. He nodded with a smile and kissed her on the forehead as she let go of him. Kathleen went inside and Kath closed the door. "I would invite you inside, but...." Kathy commenced, stopping in the middle of her sentence. "Don't worry about it. I was just leaving, anyways....", he said turning around and walking away. "Wait! El...", Kathy hollered. He turned around his hands in his pockets facing her. "There's a lot of explaining to be done...can we, um....meet for lunch or something." "Yea, I guess. We're adults...How about that little Italian place in the Bronx at around two?"  
  
  
  
"Where we had our first date?", she asked thinking maybe Elliot had forgiven her.  
  
  
  
"Guess so, 'hear the pizza's still good." he replied getting into his car. "It's a date." she smiled. "No.....Kathy, unfortunately it's not...", he answered her rolling up the window and driving away. She stood in the driveway like she did when he first abandoned her more than twelve hours before. The weird thing was that as much of adults as they thought they were, they never even made eye contact the whole time. 


	3. Trials and Tribulations

Elliot came into the precinct a little later than Munch, Fin, and Olivia. Munch just remarked with a sarcastic 'tsk tsk' while Fin on the contrary, just welcomed him. Olivia didn't say anything and went upstairs to get some coffee. Elliot followed her upstairs wondering why she was acting weird.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked as he filled his mug up with coffee.

"Not a lot." she said abruptly. Elliot opened his mouth to ask her a question but Olivia picked up were she left off. "What the hell happened this morning?"

"Yea…..I knew I should've said something." he said.

"Yea……kinda." she said cocking her head. Elliot could tell she was upset, but not as upset as he was with Kathy. 

"I uh, I had to see my kids and talk to Kath." he said sounding a bit depressed.

"At four in the morning?" she yelled.

"We had to talk." he said in a serious tone.

"So what, are you getting back together?" she asked. 

"Why are you on my case?!" he exclaimed. "It's my life that's falling apart, and you are all over me like nothings happening!" Olivia looked to the ground in embarrassment. After five plus years, Elliot never exploded the way he did before, and he knew he was out of line. "I'm sorry." he apologized. 

"No, no….your right. I'm sorry for, um, intruding." she answered back rushing downstairs. He followed her and grabbed her arm. 

"Liv…." he whispered as she stared into his eyes. Their breathing got heavier and Elliot was telling himself to 'say something!'. "Thanks for letting me stay last night."

"No problem." she said slowly pulling away from Elliot's grasp. He let her go and watched her trail down the stairs. Cragen was already at the bottom giving everyone their assignments. Elliot sighed in discontent when he heard Cragen announce that Olivia was to be paired with Fin today. 

Their case was in the city, interrogating a girl who cried wolf on her boyfriend. It was their regular, she said he did job, and in the end a basic touch and go was emphasized to be rape. Elliot kept checking his watch. He was oddly anticipating his confrontation with Kathy and the minutes seemed to pass like hours. Munch noticed his fretting.

"What are you happily waiting for my fellow detective?" Munch asked. Elliot felt quite embarrassed that his quick movements were obvious. Elliot avoided his question.

"John, what's it like to….uh get divorced?" he asked hoping Munch could give some viable advice .

"One of the best experiences of my life. I could finally spend my well made money on me not Gucci." he joked. Elliot rolled his eyes and sighed shaking his head. "Why?" John asked. "……..oh…El, um I'm sorry" he apologized.

"Don't be yet. We didn't make anything official, but it's how you say, 'not looking good'." he told him.

"I see. Well, just hang in there. It all gets better no matter how bad it hurts and how miserable you feel." Munch told him as they pulled out in front of the precinct. They sat in silence watching the cars drive past. Elliot blew air out through his mouth. 

"We're going to talk things over today. The kids, the house, the money, the separation." Elliot broke the silence.

"What happened to you guys?" Munch asked. "A week ago you guys were all happy and twenty years in."

"Twenty years wasted." Elliot announced. "We just grew apart after time and lets just say she just took full 'advantage' of it. It's funny 'cause it seems that if one of us betrayed the other, funnily enough it would have been me." Munch seemed to understand what Elliot meant by it. "We better go in." Elliot suggested. Munch nodded and they got out of the car. 

Olivia and Fin were already there with Cragen talking about the case they were assigned to. Elliot smiled at Olivia who just ignored the gesture. Elliot was upset that she was still upset with him. 

"Cap'n, can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Yea Elliot, come to my office." he suggested. Elliot followed Cragen into his office and sat in a chair across from his desk. "What's up?" he asked.

"I need to leave in a half hour." he announced. 

"Oh really?" Cragen asked surprised. "And for what?" Elliot prepared himself to announce it to Cragen as he fixed his position on his chair. 

"Uh, well Kathy and I are….splitting up." he sighed. Cragen's face became more acute as he straightened himself out on the chair. "We need to talk things over and well….." he stopped in mid-sentence looking away from Cragen. Cragen picked up where Elliot left off. 

"Elliot, do you need a week off to get over this?" he asked.

"No, not at all. Work is probably the thing that is keeping me from going insane." Elliot laughed. In a weird way it seemed that Elliot was quite uncomfortable talking with Cragen about it. Cragen nodded and got up, Elliot mirrored his act. Donald patted Elliot's back walking him out.

"Do what you gotta do." he instructed trying to smile but feeling for one of his favorite detectives. Munch, Fin, and Olivia watched as the two emerged from his office. From Cragen's office Elliot grabbed his coat. He didn't even pay attention to his colleagues, but remembered to say goodbye to them. Olivia closed her eyes in desperation. She knew she wasn't acting like a friend; she was completely avoiding her best one and not making his situation any better. She turned around to follow Elliot to apologize for her actions but he was gone. She ran to the door and looked outside, however he was no where in sight. 

"Where the hell did he go?" she asked panting as she came back to the group. She looked at Fin, Cragen, and Munch's helpless faces knowing they knew something. "What is it?!" she asked. Fin shrugged truthfully but Cragen and Munch tried to look away from her. "John?"

"Olivia…." Munch began but stopped in mid-sentence.

"What's going on that you can't tell me?" she asked desperately. 

"He's going to see Kathy."

"What?" she asked. Her tone lowered and tears started to fill her eyes. She was speechless. 

****

A/N : SORRY ABOUT THE CLIFFHANGER BUT YOU'LL BE HAPPY WITH THE NEXT CHAP. REVIEW WHEN YOU GOT A CHANCE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!


	4. Breakable

Chapter 4

Breakable

A/N: Hey y'all. Sorry bout the cliffhanger. Hope you like this chapter lots of fighting. Anyways review when you got the chance to let me know what you think. Thankz.

-kermit 

"Look Liv, he's going to see Kathy." Munch repeated.

"Ok then…let's get back to work! He's got his own life." she replied seeming a little distraught to say the least fixing papers on her desk frantically.

"Ok, you three, get to work!" Cragen instructed. Munch nodded and sat down at his desk.

………………………………

Meanwhile, Elliot arrived at the Queens restaurant. At a distance he saw Kathy sitting in a corner outside drinking a glass of wine, wearing dark sun glasses and a lime green tank top. 

"Little early, huh?" Elliot asked referring to the wine as he sat down across the table from her.

"Speak for yourself…" she answered sarcastically.

"I'm talking about the wine." he replied closing his eyes annoyed. 

"Well, it's a free country isn't it? Plus, it's a very distressful time for me if you know what I mean and hey! I'm not pregnant!" she exclaimed sarcastically. 

"Thank God for that." he replied looking away. 

"Anyways…" she began eyeing him down like he was worthless. However, before she could continue the waiter was there ready to take Elliot's order.

"Would you like anything sir?" he asked.

"Yes a glass of water, and uh…..an aspirin, please." he joked.

"How about I just get you the water…" the waiter replied walking away. Elliot readjusted himself in the seat. 

"Sow you were saying…" Elliot continued. 

"The kids…" she replied stopping in mid sentence.

"Ah yes, look Kathy, I don't want us to fight over them in court. I think we should let them decide what they want to do." he replied. 

"Well Maureen is nineteen and can care for herself, Kathleen is sixteen and says she can alternate, and the twins, well they just want us to be together." she added. Elliot felt like saying 'Well it would still be like that if you weren't fucking me around.' Instead, however, he just nodded along. "What about holidays" she asked.

"Who cares? It's not like they're going to be the same after today anyways." he sighed avoiding her eyes. 

"Ok…look Elliot…I'm staying at my mom's as you know, until I can move in w….never mind."

"With who?" he inquired. 

"No one…" she lied. Elliot was becoming increasingly angry as he watched Kathy nervously put on her sun glasses. 

"Damn it, Kathy! I need to know where my kids are sleeping at night, and who the bastard is they're staying with! What's the prick's name?" he yelled slamming his fist on the table. 

"Anthony Coccid, he lives in south Queens. Elliot, I don't expect you to welcome him with open arms." she told him.

"You're damn right." he fired back. The waiter came back with Elliot's water, a little alarmed by the arguing and placed it on the table.

"Would you like anything else?" he offered.

"Maybe a little privacy." Kathy snapped. He rolled his eyes as he walked away as Kathy turned to Elliot. "…so you can keep the house _but_ if you sell, I get thirty percent the profit." she announced. Elliot who was ignoring her now, turned to her looking into her eyes laughing.

"You can't be serious…" he told her. She nodded and cringed hoping Elliot wouldn't lash out again. However, he did. "Ha, funny! 'cause last time I checked, **_I_** bought the house, **_I_** paid the mortgage and **_I _**worked my ass off to put food in the fucking fridge!" he yelled. Everyone around them was tuning in and looking at them fight.

"Elliot, I need money to take care of the kids…" she whispered noticing that people were watching. Elliot rose from the table in a fury and pointed at her. 

"You go tell that fucker Adam to give you money because there is no way in hell you're getting it from me!" he walked away. Kathy rose from the table but didn't move.

"It's Anthony!" she yelled. 

"Whatever the asshole's name is!" he yelled about twenty feet away from her. He walked back over to her in a fury. "You think I'm responsible for this mess!" he yelled in a whispered. "Next time you want to blame someone, blame your vagina." Kathy sat down feeling completely appalled and buried her head in her arms. Elliot feeling no remorse marched out of the restaurant. 

"Sir you have to keep your voice down!" the waiter warned him.

"Just leaving." he replied keep going. 

"But you have to pay!" the waiter pleaded.

"For what?" Elliot stopped, put his hands on his hips and looked at the patronized waiter.

"For the wine sir." 

"I didn't have the wine you twit. Bill it to 'I don't give a shit' down there in the corner." Elliot instructed him pointing to Kathy who still had her head in her arms. Elliot felt exasperated but penitential for all the people he insulted. He was more of a humble, yet proud being. He approached the squad car and got in feeling a bit guilty. However, he didn't pass a bit of heat as he drove back to the precinct.

He drove back to the precinct pissed off in every sense. He never thought he would fight with her the way he did. When he got back, Olivia, Munch, and Fin were there, all surprised to see him. 

"You're back?" Munch asked surprised. 

"Thank God." Elliot replied.

"Elliot…." Cragen called from his office. He motioned Elliot to come, and Elliot walked toward his office with the hands in his pockets. 

"What's up?" Elliot asked closing the door.

"How'd it go?" he asked. 

"It was ridiculous." Elliot replied planned himself in the chair.

"What went wrong?" he asked. 

"Everything Cragen! I can't look at her without arguing or feeling like I want to vomit." Elliot replied. Cragen remained silent for a time until he responded with something Elliot didn't want to hear.

"Elliot, I want you to take time off." 

"No, captain I'm fine really."

"No, Elliot. I don't think you are. I'm serious, come back when you have everything sorted out." Cragen replied showing Elliot the door. As Elliot walked out of Cragen's office the three other heads popped out from their desks. Olivia got up and walked over to Elliot who apparently seemed upset by his sentence. 

"We'll talk later?" she asked in a whisper as Elliot stuffed his belongings into his bag. "Maybe meet for a drink?" Elliot shook his head.

"Probably not. I need some time to think." he replied as he headed for the door. Olivia feeling a bit turned down by his reply walked back to her desk. "Later everybody…" Elliot said walking out of the precinct. 

"See ya lucky ass." Munch replied pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Olivia watched from the corner of her eye like a hawk as Elliot got into his car and drove away. She felt as if her day couldn't get any worse.

"Well, it's funny how I get a divorce and my house, money, and the rest of my shit is taken away from me. He gets divorced and gets a vacation above all else." Munch complained sarcastically. Fin laughed while in contrary Olivia rolled her eyes. 

"Get over yourself John." she warned. 

"But it's true!" he argued.

"So what? You were married for a dismal 4 years all your marriages combined. That's one fifth of the time Elliot and Kathy were married." Olivia answered back.

"A divorce is a divorce." Munch replied. "You're still breaking up with the one you _love_."

"John, you got married for the sex, and for the pretty girl everyone looked at on your arm. Don't even try to fool me with the "I'm in love" speech." 

"Oh yea, Olivia, you should know. _You're_ a man…"

"Hey!" Cragen called from his office. "Shut your traps and get back to work."

"Sorry" Olivia and Munch replied at the same time. 

"All I'm tryin…" Olivia whispered but was interrupted by Munch.

"Shhh!"

"….all I'm trying to say is…"

"Shhh!"

"Is that you…"

"Shhh!" Munch said even louder. "I'm trying to do my work!"

"Let me finish!" she pleaded.

"Shhh!"

"Both of you shut you before I whack you both with a stick." Fin warned but he was too late.

"Olivia, John; my office **now**!" Cragen instructed. Olivia rose from her chair looking at Munch and he did the same.

"What the hell is going on with you two? I'm trying to get this report in while you two are out there debating love and marriage!" Cragen yelled. "I'm advising you to get going with the work or get going out of here!" he warned.

"Sorry captain." Olivia apologized. Munch dittoed the gesture and they got back to their work. As they walked out everyone in the precinct was looking at them. 

"How'd it go?" Fin asked.

"Well, lets just say we're lucky we didn't get our asses fired. He's pissed." Munch replied.

"Unfortunately." Olivia added. "Gosh, I have so much shit to finish." 

"Join the club, sweetie." Munch replied sarcastically. 

"Well, at least I have a little more to do." she said looking at the stack of papers on her desk. "I'll be here for another three days…" she sighed.

…………………………

Meanwhile Elliot arrived to an empty household. He walked up the steps and sat on the porch readjusting his tie. He stared at the mothers playing soccer with their sons and the fathers playing softball with their daughters.

"What the hell happened to us?" he asked himself. "We were so happy…well, we were able to be in the same room with out hating each other at least." He got up from the steps and walked inside. The house was cold and dark like no one was alive. The vibrant feeling he got when he usually got home had vanished, like the laughter of his children had dispersed also. He turned on the lights and walked over to the answer machine that had "3" displayed, He pressed the button and the messages commenced. 

"Hi Kathy, Elliot, this is Rhonda from down the street. Just wanted to let you guys know we're having a party on the twenty first four our 25th wedding anniversary. We would love it if you guys could come. R.S.V.P by the eighth!" the voice said. "Twenty five years, huh?" he said out loud. Elliot pressed next on the machine.

"Hi Mr. And Mrs. Stabler. This is Darcy Goodman, Elizabeth's dance teacher. I just wanted to let you guys know that our first recital is coming up in a few weeks, on the twenty ninth, and we are having our dress rehearsal on the twenty second. Can't wait to see you there! Any questions just call 212.….." Elliot pressed next before he heard anymore. The terms 'Elliot and Kathy' and 'Mr. And Mrs. Stabler' brought angry tears to his eyes. The next message however, would be different.

"Hi Dad. It's Maureen. Can we talk? Um, I guess I'll call back later…..bye." and she was gone. Elliot's little attention he paid was no fully aware from her distressed voice. He hadn't seen his daughter in over three weeks, since her nineteenth birthday. He wondered why she was calling. After all the messages had finished, he made his way upstairs to the bedroom. The first items he noticed was the wedding picture and the wedding band next to his bed. "What are you doing to me Kathy?" he asked closing his eyes and lying down. He was falling asleep when the phone suddenly rang. 

"Maureen?" he answered it. He adjusted himself on the bed as he heard a familiar voice from the other end; but it wasn't her. "Oh, hi."

"Elliot, hi." Kathy said.

"Kathy, why are you calling?" he asked uncomfortably. 

"We need to talk to the kids about our situation."

"Kathy, we don't have a situation, **_we're getting separated_**!" he reminded her.

"Why can't you forgive me?" she asked him. "I bet if you had an affair with Olivia, you wouldn't feel half as bad as I am. I bet you wouldn't give two shits." 

"Excuse me? If I had an extra marital affair, and you didn't kick me out; I would have done it myself. And why are you bringing Olivia into this?" 

"Because Elliot, you know you love her."  
"As a **friend**…" he replied. "So have a nice life!" he said feeling completely disgusted, hanging up the phone.

"Wait! Wait! Elliot, please. We need to do this for the kids. Don't run from me again…" she pleaded. Elliot remained silent for a while before giving in.

"Alright, but only for the kids." he said. 

"When can we come over?" she asked.

"Whenever." he replied. The loneliness began to feel unbearable but Elliot remained pacified. "Tonight at eight." he replied.

"That's fine with me, I have to get my stuff anyways." she replied. Then it really hit him; Elliot and Kathy were only something of the past. She was really gone now. 

"Ok then….bye." he said as he hung up the phone. He put it back on the charger and put his head in his palms. He thought about the last time he and Kathy had a regular conversation, and how bittersweet their last kiss was. He seemed to be all false and not real. The fairytale life he had laid out for Kathy and himself had been dilapidated, completely opposite of what it was a month ago. 

"What the hell am I doing!?" he exclaimed smacking the wedding picture from it's base to the floor. The shattering of the glass was a metaphor to what his life was like now; breakable. 

.


	5. Insomnia

**A/N: Hey everyone. It's been a while since I updated this story. I have a lot of material lined up, have five more chapters written already, and although this chapter might be a little slow paced, things are really going to start to unravel and I'm really excited. On another note, I REALLY, REALLY loved At Loss for Words, and I know a lot of you wanted to see it end up O/E, but it wouldn't be rational for it to be like that if Elliot just had a baby with Kathy. One more thing, I'm going in different directions, so lets just say anything is possible at this point. Enjoy, And Don't forget to review! Thanks again!**

"Hi daddy…" Dickey said with a somber tone as he entered the house.

"Hey buddy…" Elliot replied giving his son a tight hug. He saw his tear jerked daughters emerging from the family minivan. Kathy was last to get out of the van. Elliot felt his heartbeat thrash inside his chest at the sight of her, he bit his lips at the way she put her hair back before, how attractive she looked; he hated her. Elizabeth and Kathleen sobbed as they kissed their father.

"Is it our fault, daddy?" Elizabeth asked ingenuously.

"No, sweetheart." he replied kissing the top of head. Kathleen was unable to speak to her father. She was confined to tears. "Don't cry…" Elliot told her as he felt tears coming himself. Kathy smiled at Elliot, only making eye contact for a half a second or so. Closing the door, Elliot tried to control the overflow of emotions.

"Why are you doing this?" Kathleen sobbed even more than ever.

"Kathleen…" Kathy began.

"Your mom…" Elliot interrupted. He thought about saying "…is fucking another man." but he realized that wouldn't be appropriate. Instead he decided to take the more subtle approach. "Your mom has…Your mom and I have decided to take a break."

Kathleen saw what Elliot was hinting at. "You're seeing someone?" she yelled.

"Kathleen…" Kathy consoled. Dickey and Elizabeth watched in confusion as Kathleen tore Kathy apart.

"How could you do that! We're a family! This isn't supposed to happen."

"Elliot…" Kathy murmured. Elliot agreed it was going too far.

"It was a consensual decision…" Elliot intervened.

"Yea, of course it was. I wouldn't expect you to stay with someone who promised to spend the rest of their life with you and then decides they want someone else."

"Kathleen…stop." Elliot ordered. "Kathy get your stuff…" Kathy nodded in discontent and headed upstairs to get her clothes and belongings.

"We're still gonna live here, right?" Dickey asked.

"Of course. Maybe not all the time, but there will always be a room for you guys."

"I want to stay here." Kathleen stated angrily.

"You have to stay with your mom for a while until we work things out."

"I'm almost seventeen, Dad. I go to school here, I can drive, it makes more sense. Please."

"I think you need to stay with your brother and sister. You need to help them get

through this."

"They want to stay here too, right guys?" she asked her siblings who looked up

at her with guilt. They didn't know whether to say yes or no. They were too young to understand Kathleen's motives for not wanting to stay with Kathy. "Look, I don't want to be with her…"

"Kathleen…this is tough. Especially on you, Dickey, and Elizabeth. But once your mom and I get things sorted out for definite, I'll definitely consider it." Elliot told her.

"Fine…" she agreed. Kathy descended down the stairs, and pretended she

didn't know what was going on.

"Mommy, are we gonna stay here tonight?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, sweetie, not tonight." Kathy replied as she lugged a load of baggage down the stairs. "Get what you want, we're staying at grandma's for a while." Dickey and Elizabeth ran up the stairs, Kathleen took a little longer giving her parents a callous stare.

"Do you need help?" Elliot asked Kathy, still not looking into her eyes.

"Don't try to be a gentleman…" Kathy snickered.

"When was I not?"

"You always seemed to have a smile on your face when you saw Olivia…"

"Oh, please Kath, don't give me that bullshit…"

"Don't lie to me…."

"You're the one lying to me, to the kids, and to yourself. You cheated on me! I never touched anyone while I was with you. You broke the rules, you're the liar!" Elliot yelled directly at Kathy. Elizabeth, Kathleen, and Dickey watched from the stairs.

"Can we leave?" Kathleen asked.

"We just were…" Kathy replied opening the door. The kids said goodbye to Elliot and they were gone. They weren't there a half hour and their situation became more complicated. Elliot went to bed, but he wasn't able to sleep.

"Benson, Stabler…downtown we got a reported sexual assault. Check it out, Munch and Fin are already there." Cragen stated. Elliot and Olivia headed out together and Olivia could see something was up with Elliot.

"Are you alright?" Olivia asked Elliot as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Just fine…" he replied, adding a yawn. "Are you?"

"Never been better…" Olivia answered ardently as Elliot revved the engine and headed downtown. When they got to the crime scene, they saw a young woman wrapped in a dirty blanket, hair disheveled, and looked as if she was beaten up pretty bad.

"What's her name and how old is she?" Elliot asked the woman police officer who was keeping an eye on the girl.

"Laura Hughes, she's twenty eight…" the cop replied. Olivia followed Elliot over to the battered girl who looked at Elliot with frightened eyes.

"Hi Laura , I'm Detective St…." Elliot began but was interrupted by her flailing kicks and screams.

"Get away from me!" She yelled at Elliot who immediately stood back and but his hand to his revolver.

"Jesus…" he muttered. Olivia made sure Elliot didn't pull out his gun, pushing him to the side.

"Laura …Laura …" Olivia took her by the shoulders and tried to calm her down. Elliot walked over to Fin and Munch who were interviewing the accused abuser.

"Look, we hung out, but I never beat that bitch."

"Hey, you're the punk who has her like that." Munch yelled at the man while

showing him the girl bawling in Olivia's arms.

"She told me to get out of the house. We had sex, I never touched her, otherwise."

"Mr. Anderson, she's accusing you of rape…"

"Hey, it was consensual…we like it rough." the man laughed.

"Daniel Anderson, you're under arrest for the assault and rape of Laura Hughes." Munch informed him.

"Get in the car, son." Fin ordered him. Elliot looked over at Olivia and Laura, who was now tranquil and recanting what happened to Olivia. He stayed and waited for Olivia to approach him.

"She's pretty shaken…" Olivia confirmed. "She says this guy, Daniel told her to perform oral sex on him, and when she refused he beat and raped her." Elliot, pretty grossed by it all, asked where the girl was going.

"She's gonna get dressed, and start pressing charges. Oh, before I forget, I ran out of business cards, can I give her yours?"

"Sure." Elliot yawned again handing Olivia his card. "I just don't want her to kill me over the phone in case she does call."

"I'll write my number at the bottom…" Olivia smiled in an annoyed way. Elliot watched as Olivia walked back over to the girl. Munch came over with cups of coffee.

"Thanks, man." Elliot said as Munch gave him the coffee. Munch purposely taunted the suspect in the car with the coffee. "Prick" he sneered.

"So we gonna take this s.o.b. down to the precinct or what?" Fin asked Munch.

"Yea, partner." Munch replied. "Later Elliot." Elliot smiled as Munch and Fin got into the car and drove off. Olivia came back; Elliot noticed how the wind made waves through her hair. She was as beautiful as ever, and now that he and Kathy were separated, maybe something would come about of it.

"They're gonna take her to the ER and conduct a rape kit."

"Munch and Fin are already gone back with the suspect for booking."

"Great, so we're left with the paperwork…"

HOURS LATER….

After Olivia and Elliot had completed the work, it was late in the evening. Elliot had planned on asking Olivia out for a drink, not her asking him.

"Hey, El, I was thinking…you wanna go for a drink?" Olivia proposed.

"Um, I better be going home." Elliot tried to play hard to get. "What are you doing?" he thought to himself. "This is your chance!"

"Alright, I guess I'll catch you later." she replied sounding disappointed. Elliot watched in horror as she walked away.

"Nice Job" he told himself. Ten minutes after Olivia left, Elliot decided it was time to go. Once he stepped outside of the precinct, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Detective Stabler?…"

"Yes, who's this?"

"It's Laura Hughes…".


	6. Lonliness

"Hi, Laura, are you in trouble?"

"No, I'm at the hospital, but I need to talk to you."

Elliot made a contorted face. "Are you sure you don't want to talk to my partner, her number is at the bottom of the…."

"No, I wanna talk to you." she replied.

"Alright, what hospital are you in?"

"Montessori, on Thirty-second and Park avenue."

"Ok, I'll be there in ten minutes."

When Elliot arrived, he asked where Laura was. The secretary showed him into her room, and Elliot crept in. Laura had her eyes closed, and Elliot sat into a chair next to the bed. Elliot examined her blonde hair, its golden hue; just like Kathy's. She opened her eyes, and smiled at Elliot. He noticed that she had the most intriguing eyes he ever saw. They were a soft shade of turquoise blue, and they pierced him.

"Hi…" she whispered.

"Hey, how are you feeling…" Elliot asked.

"Exhausted…" she replied. "I asked you here because I wanted to say I was sorry for today…"

"No, no…don't worry about it…" Elliot consoled her.

"I was terrified…I didn't want any male near me…" she laughed. Elliot smiled, he

realized how she was exposed. "Also, I want to drop the charges…"

"What? Why?" Elliot asked.

"I don't want to see Danny ever again…" Laura explained.

"You won't have to. Believe me, that bastard is going to be behind bars for a long, long, time."

"But rape is one of the hardest things to prove…"

"Ms. Hughes, he raped you and we're gonna convict him…"

"I can't go through with it…It's gonna be too much…"

"I'm gonna be there. He can't touch you…" Elliot explained now holding her hand. "Believe me…"

"Alright, then. I'll do it…" she smiled after some thought.

"Good." Elliot replied delighted. He let go of her hand.

"Thank You…" she yawned.

"Sure…try and get some sleep, you need it…"

"You too…" she smiled closing her eyes. Elliot got up from his chair and walked out of the room. He felt compelled to stay with her, but knew that that would be uncomfortable for them both. Plus, he was wrecked tired. He met a doctor who was about to enter the room.

"Hi, Detective Stabler, Manhattan Sex Crimes." Elliot began showing his badge.

"What are the results of the rape kit?"

"Positive. She was pretty beat up, the works."

"Alright, well we're going to be back here tomorrow morning. Any developments, call us…" Elliot said handing the doctor his card. Elliot left the hospital and headed to his car. He thought of calling Olivia, but instead headed to her house; he wanted to talk to her in person. After a ten minute drive to the other side of the city, he reached her apartment building. He raced up the five flights of stairs and knocked on her door.

"C'mon Liv, answer the damn door…" Elliot said anxiously. She opened the door seconds after in her pajamas, and joined Elliot outside the apartment leaving the door ajar. Elliot found her demeanor odd, she usually asked him in.

"Elliot…" she began annoyed.

"I know, Liv, I'm sorry."

"You can't keep coming around unannounced like this…"

"You know, you're right…" Elliot said embarrassed, and he turned to walk back down the stairs.

"El, you can't keep doing this to me, I'm kinda busy…"

"You know, I'll just come back tomorrow…"

"No! You're here now, " she sighed, "What's up?"

"I got a call a while ago from that girl Laura Hughes. She wanted to drop the charges but I convinced her not to."

"How come she didn't call me?"

"I don't know…" Elliot changed the subject. There were footsteps from inside the

apartment. "You have company?" Olivia didn't have time to answer, because her company was at the door.

"Olivia…." the mysterious man appeared at the door. "…popcorn's ready."

"Great, I'll be there in a minute." she said closing the door. Elliot seemed confused, and Olivia was embarrassed. "Can we talk tomorrow over a drink or something?"

"Yea, sure…" Elliot complied.

"Ok then, tomorrow, you and me…" Olivia smiled as she reentered the

apartment. Elliot smiled falsely and walked down the stairs.

Olivia made it sound so easy, have a drink, just friends. Elliot was going through so much with his divorce, his life starting a new chapter, it wasn't as easy to say their lifestyle was just friendly. He knew he wanted more, but when he saw that man at the door he began to think otherwise. He missed his chance, and he would have to move on.

"Or maybe they're just friends…like me and her ." he told himself. "God, I'm so paranoid." Driving back home was tiresome, and listening to the messages on the

machine was even more tiring. The first was from his lawyer.

"Hey Elliot, this is David Spitzer here. I have the conditions here that Mrs. Stabler is requesting during your divorce proceedings next month. Give me a call when you get the chance." Elliot rolled his eyes in a pessimistic state. The next three messages were from family members who wanted to console Elliot, and the last message was Maureen.

"Hey dad, you must be busy. I'll call later. Love ya."

"Shit, I forgot to call her!" he replied picking up the phone and dialing her number.

"Hello?" she picked up.

"Hey sweetie…"

"Dad, hey. You got my messages, huh?"

"Yea, what's going on?"

"I heard about you and mom…What the hell happened?" she sounded distressed.

"Look, sweet heart, your better asking your mom, I might be a little biased in this whole story…"

"We're both adults, dad…" she reminded him. And he forgot the whole time she

was gone off to college that she wasn't a child anymore.

"She's seeing someone…"

"What? You're still married! What the hell is wrong with her?"

"Maureen, this was going to happen anyways…we just grew apart, we were kids when we fell for each other. That was twenty odd years ago."

"So your justifying what she did."

"Of course not…"

"Are you seeing anyone?"

Elliot thought about this for a few seconds. "No…"

"Olivia?"

"No, Maureen…I'm not seeing Olivia."

"God, how did I not see this coming?"

"Don't cry…Get some sleep…"

"Alright, dad. Love you…"

"Goodnight, Maureen…"

Elliot felt like crying himself; how could he not see it coming either? It was going

for ten o'clock and Elliot decided to go to bed. Olivia was obviously dating again, and Elliot was stuck in a rut with the divorce and everything to take advantage of that. It was the first night he actually felt lonely, and he vowed that he would erase all traces of Kathy from himself, even if it meant more lonely nights.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who started to read my resurrected version of this story. Also, thanks loads to those who reviewed, I appreciate it! Things are really going to pick up in the next chapter (I promise!), and that's when all the drama starts to really unfold. Thanks again, and drop a line if you can!**


	7. Better Do Better

"Where's Elliot?" Olivia asked Fin as she arrived at work the next morning.

"He's taking the day off." Fin answered.

"Oh." she sounded surprised. After hearing from Casey that would prosecute Laura's rape case in the next week or so, Olivia found an excuse to call Elliot. She went outside for a breath of fresh air and so that she could have some privacy.

"Hello?" he answered his cell phone.

"Hey it's me."

"Hi, what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Casey was gonna begin proceedings in Laura Hughes's rape case today."

"Alright." Elliot replied sounding uninterested.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked concerned.

"Nothing, why?"

"You seem down."

"I'm meeting with my divorce attorney today to talk about the shit I have to put up with in the next few weeks."

"Oh, sorry…" Olivia answered. "…so what about we go for a drink later on or something."

"I don't think so…"

"I think we need to talk about some things…" Olivia proposed.

"Look, Olivia. I already I said I was sorry about walking in on your little sleepover last night." Elliot replied sounding annoyed.

"It's not about that, Elliot. What's up your ass?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just really stressed out with you, Kathy, the kids, everything."

"Well I'm sorry I'm making you so stressed, but the next time you want to talk don't come around my place at ten o'clock at night."

"Olivia, I didn't mean…."

"Goodbye Elliot."

Olivia was red in the face, and Elliot knew he was out of line. He didn't even bother calling her back knowing she wouldn't answer anyway. He felt eyes staring him down as he sat in his lawyer's office. The secretary looked at him in particular with a questionable expression on her face, and he smiled and looked away, confused.

"Hi Mr. Stabler, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." his lawyer David Spitzer said, as he entered the office.

"No problem…" Elliot got up and shook his hand.

"So, have you been in contact with Mrs. Stabler lately?"

"I saw her a couple of days ago, she came over to get her belongings."

"Her lawyer called me and faxed me with these demands." he handed Elliot the piece of paper.

"Is she insane? She wants that much a month for child support? There is no way in hell this is going down. I already have a daughter in college."

"I understand, Mr. Stabler, and I will do the best that I can to make sure that doesn't happen. How do you feel about giving her the house?"

"We already came to the conclusion that the house will be mine. Plus, if she gets the house, I will have to pay the mortgage."

"She wants the house…" Spitzer revealed.

"What?" Elliot asked surprised. "You wouldn't mind if I called her, would you?"

"Not at all, do you want me to give you some privacy?" asked Spitzer.

"No, I'd think it would be better if someone restrained me in the next couple of minutes." laughed Elliot who dialed Kathy's number.

"Hello?" Kathy answered the phone.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm guessing this is about the divorce."

"You bet your ass it is. We agreed that I'd keep the house."

"Elliot, make it quick."

"I want to talk to you, now."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in my lawyer's office."

"The kids are in school, so it won't be a problem to meet you over at the house in a half hour."

"Good, while we're on that topic…"

"Bye, Elliot."

"What did she say?" asked Spitzer.

"We're gonna talk in person."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea."

"I want to get my point across. I'll call you after." Elliot told Spitzer.

AN HOUR AND A HALF HOUR LATER…

It was starting to rain, and the sky was as dark as it would be hours later. Elliot never moved from the car when he arrived back at the house. He watched Kathy pull up in the mini-van in his rear view mirror. She didn't see him in the car and once she got out of the car, Elliot skulked behind her.

"You're late." Elliot began as Kathy gasped in fright.

"You scared the shit of me, don't do that ever again." she replied. Elliot laughed under his breath as he opened the door and let her in.

"This place needs to be cleaned." she scolded him looking around at the dust on the shelves and the dirt on the ground.

"Are you trying to convince me to give you this house? It's not working."

"I can't be living with my mother forever."

"Go live with that asshole, then."

"You're out of line Elliot. You know it's my house too, and since the kids are getting older, I thought I'd get a job and I wouldn't have to rely on you."

"Then why the hell are you demanding a practically a third of my salary."

"Well that was if I didn't get the house."

"So, what, are you giving me an ultimatum?"

"Basically…"

"You are amazing, Kathy, really."

"Look, Elliot, if I got the house, the kids would be back to reality, and you could come and hang with them."

"This wouldn't have had to happen, Kathy, if you…"

"Don't blame this all on me, Elliot. We were kids twenty years ago."

"Why did you tell me then that I could have the house?"

"I thought I'd move in with Anthony, but he said that he wasn't ready for that. We broke up."

Elliot laughed and shook his head. "Was it worth it? Was it worth breaking up our family for a guy who was too afraid to have a serious relationship with you?"

"Elliot…"

"Shut up Kathy. You've ruined my life!" he screamed as tears came to his face. She sat next to him on the couch and gave tried to console him.

"Shhh…." she whispered as she wiped his eyes. "You have me crying like a child." he told her. She hugged him and rubbed the back of his head.

"Can't you just admit that you were wrong?" he asked her. "Admit it Kath."

"Stop Elliot."

"You're killing me…"

"I'm sorry, Elliot."

"Get Out."

"Elliot…"

"Just get out!" Elliot replied raising his voice.

"Elliot, I need this house."

"I needed you! I fucking needed you, and you threw me to the side like I meant nothing. After all this time!"

"Don't make this harder for both of us. I'm going to get the house." Kathy said getting up. Elliot wiped tears from his face, as raged filled up inside him.

"Are you trying to threaten me? I know the legal system, Kathy, and this is MY house."

"Call me when your back to normality. I think you've been drinking…"

"Bullshit, Kath. When do I get to see the kids?"

"When you start acting like a civilized person."

"You can't decide that, Kathy!" he yelled as she walked out the door and towards her car.

"Just like you can't decide if I can get the house or not." Kathy replied opening the door and pulling out of the driveway.

Elliot slammed the door, adding "Bitch". He climbed up the stairs and took two Tylenol before taking a nap. He got up a few hours later, made himself a sandwich, and went back to sleep again. The next morning he woke up ready for work, but before he left for the city one thing caught his eye; a "for sale" sign on the house directly across the street from his.

"Jesus…" Elliot said just staring at the house across the street. "It's perfect for her…" He got his phone out of his pocket and immediately called Kathy, not realizing the rest of the world slept at 5:45 while he left for work.

"Hello?"

"Kathy…"

"What?" she sounded pissed.

"I need to see you…"

"Change of heart, huh?"

"Come after work."

"What is this about?"

"I need to see you…."

"Ok, then…I'll be there by seven. This better be good Elliot, I'm warning…"

"Bye, Kath…" he hung up on her.

Elliot got into his car and drove off to work elated about what he was planning in his head. He forgot about his skiff with Olivia. By the time he arrived, he realized Olivia was still holding a grudge.

"You still mad, huh?"

"No…" she lied.

"I'm sorry, can we go for a drink later?"

"Maybe."

"Benson…Stabler!" Casey yelled from afar.

"What's up?" asked Elliot.

"Laura got released from the hospital yesterday and Daniel Anderson is getting charged for rape. Are you guys coming?"

"No." Olivia answered.

"Yes." Elliot replied.

"Elliot, trial starts in ten minutes." Casey reminded him.

"I'll be there." he replied. "I'll call you about the drink later…" he whispered turning to Olivia.

"Alright." Olivia replied. Elliot hurried to court, hoping he'd get in on time. Up front he recognized Laura by her blond hair. He smiled as she turned around and smirked at him.

"What are you presenting counselor?"

"The people of New York versus Daniel Anderson, who is being charged with rape in the first degree, your honor."

"Does your client plead guilty or not guilty?" the judge asked Daniel's lawyer.

"Innocent." Daniel spoke up. The judge looked at him for speaking out of turn.

"Not Guilty, your honor." his attorney butted in. She whispered something in Daniel's ear, warning him not to speak unless he was on the stand.

Surprisingly, judge decided to recess the trial for six weeks, due to other circumstances. Elliot felt he had wasted time, but he was excited about his drink with Olivia. He tried to reach Laura, but like a needle in a haystack, she was nowhere to be found afterwards.

"Where did she go?" Elliot asked Casey after the judge dismissed everyone.

"Who?"

"Laura"

"She went home to get some rest. She might not even testify, though. Too afraid."

"She has to, she's the key to this whole mess."

"I know, but she won't listen to me…"

"Alright, give her time then. Call me if anything happens."

"Sure" Casey replied walking away. Elliot headed towards Cragen's office, thinking about how perfect his situation would be if Kathy moved across the street. The kids would be there, he wouldn't have to move, and Kathy wouldn't be always around.

"Elliot." Cragen said, Elliot daydreaming. "Elliot!"

"Yea, yea?" Elliot replied.

"Olivia and Munch are interrogating some prick who raped his niece. You want to look on?"

"Actually, captain…"

"Good, get to it."

"Cragen, actually, I have to go to Laura Hughes' house."

"Why is that, detective?"

"She might not testify in the rape trial against her estranged boyfriend"

"So you're going to see if you can convince her?"

"Yea, I suppose so."

"Elliot, I think that should be left up to Olivia. She's a woman."

"Captain, to be honest, Laura told me she was comfortable with me."

"Alright then, Detective Stabler, just don't do anything stupid."

Elliot smiled, happy that he convinced Cragen to let him go. It took Elliot ten minutes to get down to Laura's apartment. He raced up the three floors, wearing himself out. He knocked on the door twice, but no one came to answer.

"Laura, it's me Detective Stabler from the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. Are you there?"

He rang the doorbell and a couple of seconds later, she opened the door.

"Sorry, I was washing the dishes, didn't hear you knock."

"Oh, hope I didn't scare you."

"Nothing scares me anymore." she laughed. "Do you want to come in?"

"I need to talk to you about a couple of things…"

"Come in, come in…" she ushered him in. Elliot noticed the cleanliness of her home. What really caught his eye was the sun shining on her wood floor, across the floor onto her brown leather couches.

"Make yourself at home." Laura told him.

"Nice place you got here."

"Oh, thanks…So what is it you have to talk to me about?"

"Laura, in order for Daniel to go to jail, we need you to testify."

"Detective…"

"Laura, you are the key witness. Without you, there is no case! What are you afraid of?"

"I don't want him to come after me…"

"He won't, I promise…"

"Don't promise me anything, detective."

"I swear then…is that better?"

"Stop…" she laughed. "I'll do it, but you have to buy me dinner after."

"I can't date victims…"

"Who said I was a victim? What happened didn't make me a victim, detective. It only made me stronger. I'm not that little vulnerable girl anymore"

"I'm proud of you." he was uncomfortable with the fact that Laura counterattacked him like that. "I think its time I got back to work then."

"Thanks for stopping by…"

"I'll see you soon then. "

"I…um…"

"He can't touch you, Laura. I'm here."

"Thanks, Elliot." she replied embracing him. Elliot didn't expect her to hug him, especially after she just corrected him.

"Bye…" he said exiting the apartment. "Maybe I'm getting a little too close for comfort." he thought to himself.

When he arrived back at the precinct, Olivia was finishing work at her desk.

"Still up for that drink?" he asked her.

"Yea, I'm practically finished with this junk and then I need to go home, get cleaned up."

"Yea, no problem. Where do you want to meet?"

"There's a bar down the street from here, I think it's called 'The Well'. Sounds good to me."

"Me too." Elliot agreed. "Well, I'm gonna go now…See ya in a few."

"See ya soon…" she smiled. Elliot decided walking was the best thing to do since the bar was only down the street. His car was parked down there anyways.

Drink One…a Budweiser

3:15 PM

"Not bad…nice and cold…" Elliot told himself. He surveyed the room around him; empty, except for the bartender of course. "Who won the game?"

"The Yankees, Red Sox game?" the bartender asked.

"Yea."

"Red Sox."

"No shit! Yankees haven't been coming up with the wins lately." Elliot replied surprised.

"Tell me about it. I can play better than some of those pricks and I haven't played ball in God knows when."

"Damn…"

Drink 5...Amstel Light

5:30 PM

"Where the hell is she?" Elliot asked himself. He was feeling the effects of multiple beers within one short time. Elliot fumbled trying to get his phone out. He clumsily dialed Olivia's number.

"Voicemail!" Elliot yelled. "Hi Olivia, Elliot here, I'm getting a little tipsy, you're missin' all the fun!"

He sounded like a jackass, so he hung up, got his stuff together, and decided it was time to leave. He totally forgot about Kathy until the taxi he took home pulled into his driveway and saw the minivan there with Kathy sitting on the front step.

"Kathy, I'm so sorry." he said walking up to her. She could smell the alcohol a mile away.

"I thought I said we could talk when you were sober."

"I had a few drinks…but I'm manageable"

"What did you want me here for?"

"Come inside…" he replied. Kathy followed Elliot inside and she sat across the table from him in the kitchen. "You see that right there?" Elliot pointed to the house across the street.

"The house?"

"Yea…"

"What?"  
"It's for sale."

"What are you trying to say? Me and the kids move in there?"

"Well, yea."

"You have got to be kidding me, Elliot!" she stood up.

"It's perfect Kathy!" he got up as well.

"I can't afford that, Elliot! Why can't you just find a cozy little apartment in the city so you don't have to go through all the trouble in getting up in the morning like a desperate person."

"The only one desperate here is you!" he yelled, his face now inches away from her. She stared into his eyes and looked as if she was going to slap him. Instead, she put her hands on his face and kissed him passionately. He didn't complain, and didn't resist it. They made their way upstairs, where Elliot found himself in a position he knew quite well. He didn't think about what was happening or ask himself "Does this mean we are getting back together."

He hated Kathy with a passion, but his passion seemed to get the better of him this time, along with the alcohol.

**A/N: I know what most of you are thinking, but the plot develops thickly after here, so I hope this was a shocker as I intended it. I appreciate all the reviews, so keep sending your support! Thanks Again**


	8. Morning After

The sunlight poured into the bedroom and crept over their bodies. Elliot traced the path of the rays, delicately embracing the foreign body in his bed. Her back, bare and pale was facing him. He knew what happened, but didn't know why.

"Good morning…" she said stretching and turning towards him.

"Did we…." Elliot was about to ask.

"Shh…." she silenced him, kissing his lips. "It was amazing…"

"Kathy…."

"Kiss me like you did last night…"

"No, Kathy…Stop!"

"What's wrong?" she sat up.

"What's wrong! We're making things way more complicated."

"No….Ever since I broke up with Anthony I began to think I made a mistake…."

"Yea, a big one for that matter…"

"Ok, Elliot. I know you're bitter. But I still love you and after what we shared last night, I know you love me too."

"You love me, huh?" Elliot asked skeptical getting up from the bed barely clothed.

"Yes and you love me…." Kathy sad kneeling on the bed grabbing Elliot's hand.

"You can't just keep doing this to me Kathy…I'm gonna take a shower, and when I'm done I want you gone."

Kathy sat silent and motionless on the bed. She knew he was right, staying would make things more complicated. Elliot contemplated this whole Kathy situation in the shower.

"Why!" he yelled slamming his fist against the shower door as the water streamed down his face. He dried himself off and when he came out of the bathroom, she was gone.

Back at work, Elliot looked frantically for Olivia.

"Liv's called 'in sick'" Munch informed him. "I think there's more to it than that if you know what I mean…"

"Oh." Elliot replied surprised. Olivia didn't take too many days off work since she started.

That day preoccupied Elliot with mostly boring, constant paperwork. "Jesus, this is bullshit" Elliot blurted out in frustration. Daniel Anderson's trial was continuing shortly, and Elliot promised Laura he'd be there to support her. Suddenly, his phone began to ring and it was none other than Kathy. "Shit…" Elliot sighed, pondering whether or not to answer it…he didn't. He did expect that she'd leave a message…she did.

"Hi Elliot. It's me, Kathy. I know you probably don't wanna talk to me right now, but I can't stop thinking about you. What happened between me and Anthony was just a stupid, stupid mistake. I love you, and I was stupid to think I could stray from what we had. I know we need some help, but I wanna work things out. Call me, I love you."

Elliot grabbed his hair in frustration; "What the hell is she doing to me?" he asked himself. Getting back to his work, he tried to forget about the whole thing, but only a few minutes later his phone began to ring again.

"Kathy, look, just stop…."

"Hi Elliot." Olivia replied sounding confused.

"Oh shit, Liv, sorry. I thought it was…"

"Elliot, I'm sorry about last night…I got caught up with some shit and you know…"

"No not really, but if you wanna talk I'm free after work…" Elliot replied sarcastically.

"Elliot, seriously." Olivia laughed. "I'd like to talk after work."

"Alright then, see ya sometime after 4."

After work, Elliot headed off to Olivia's apartment in better humor than many nights since the divorce was filed. She opened the door, giving Elliot butterflies.

"Hey you." she welcomed him. "Come in."

"Long time no see…." Elliot replied sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Yea, its been 24 hours…"

"Longer than normal."

"So, Elliot…there is something I wanna tell you. It's the reason I took a rain check last night."

"Let me guess…you're seeing someone?"

"Well, I have been dating around, 'cause you know, I'm in my late thirties, it's about time I settled down, right…?"

"Well, Liv, I…."

"So, when you came around that time I had someone over, I felt really guilty about what happened, you know, me blowing up on you and everything, and…."

"Liv?" Elliot asked realizing Olivia was rambling on.

"Yea?"

"What's buggin' ya?"  
"Elliot, I just want to let you know that I love you…"

Elliot was startled. Shocked, in fact. "I love you too, Liv…" he said in his head.

"You're like a brother to me, and I just wanted to let you know that whenever you need me, I'm here. You wanna talk and it's three in the morning, come on over. Don't hesitate. If you wanna go for a couple of beers after work and talk about the divorce, I'm here for you."

Oh. It wasn't what Elliot thought she was saying. And it all made sense! They weren't dating, they flirted at most, but it was nothing but fun. He was humiliated, but he was glad she wasn't in love with him, it made things less complicated. But how he longed to kiss her. To enfold his hands around her face and gently kiss her. He realized that he needed to move away from the chaos caused by Kathy and the confusion caused by Olivia.

But he kissed her anyway, on the cheek, to thank her for what she offered him; solace.

"I better get going…" he cut short of their conversation.

"Are you sure, I can make a cup of coffee or something…Stay…"

"No….no I can't….You know what Liv, I promised to take the kids to a movie and I'm like twenty minutes late already"

"Are you sure you want to leave so soon? I mean, I'd love to talk more."

"I know, so would I but I really got to go."

"Are you okay?" she asked following him as he left her apartment.

"Perfect." he said smiling as he looked at her at the bottom of the staircase.

He drove all the way to Kathy's mother's house to meet up with the kids. He didn't expect to see Kathy answer the door.

"I see you got my message…"

"Sorry I'm late, tell the kids to come on…"

"Elliot, we need to talk…"

"About what!"

"About last night…"

"What? Is it because I didn't wear a condom? I'm sure you going through menopause will take care of that."

"Shut the hell up Elliot, you bastard. I'm not worried about the contraception. I wanna talk like adults for once."

"Kathy, I'm not interested in getting back together."

"Hi Daddy!" Dickey screamed running out from the kitchen and embracing Elliot.

"Hi Dickey, tell your sisters I'll be waiting in the car." Dickey ran back into the kitchen and Elliot turned to Kathy before heading to the car. "End of discussion."

"Elliot…" Kathy moaned from the front door.

"They'll be back by seven…" Elliot replied nonchalantly, not acknowledging her the way she wanted him to.

**A/N: Drama is just getting started, I promise. Leave a note when you get a chance, Thanks!**


	9. And So We'll Meet Again

**A/N: Wow, it's been a while. Hope this makes up for it. Thanks again for all the great comments. I appreciate it! **

It was the usual routine for Elliot on a Monday morning; up at five, and into the city by half six. However, today was different; it was Daniel Anderson's trial, and Elliot promised Laura he'd be there. Olivia and the others decided to skip out on the trial, seeing that it was a "busy" time of year.

Elliot sat near the back of the courtroom and felt his blood boil when Daniel entered the courtroom. On the other hand, his heart sank as he reciprocated the smile Laura gave him when she entered the room. Elliot had illicitly grown attracted to her mysterious allure; her strong composure and soft features intrigued him, and that scared him.

The trial went on for many days, and each day Elliot learned to hate Daniel more, learning about his cruel and controlling demeanor. It was a shoe-in that he would be convicted, no doubt.

"Your honor, the jury finds the defendant, Daniel Anderson, guilty of rape, assault with a deadly weapon…." and the foreman continued to list what the jury had convicted him of; he got 12 years.

Although Elliot expected it, his heart leapt for joy. He saw a tear run down Laura's face as she watched her former boyfriend walk away incarcerated. Elliot didn't know if they were tears of joy or of sorrow, but either way he was overjoyed. He tried to make his way through the crowd outside the court, and get to Laura, but she was quickly ushered into a car and carried away again. Elliot knew he'd meet up with her again sometime.

The sun began to hide behind a few rain clouds, and Elliot had seen this picture before. With his luck, it would start raining and he would be soaking wet by the time he made it back to his car. However, this time he made it to the car by the time the first few drops had escaped and began decorating his windshield. "Made it…" he smiled.

It was ten days after the trial when Elliot was at the bar, in a state between bewilderment and excitement of his unknown future.

"Thought I'd find you here…" a familiar voice came from his right. At first he thought it was Olivia. Instead he was startled to find those piercing turquoise eyes haunting him all over again.

"Laura…hi…"

"Det. Stabler…"

"Call me Elliot…" he smiled. "Sit down, join me…how did you know I was here?"

"Well, Elliot, I asked around and I was told this was the local hangout. Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for everything…"

"_Thank _me? Don't be silly…What are you having?"

"Oh, um, nothing, I can't stay……"

"Well, if you won't have a drink with me, you'll accept the dinner I promised…"

"Well I guess I could go for a slice of pizza or something…" she laughed.

"Great. I know this great little pizzeria down the street…"

"Alright…." she gave in smiling at him. He walked her out of the bar and down three blocks. He had a pepperoni while she ate half a plain slice. Conversation came easy and they talked about everything from the trial to work. Elliot knew he was going too far with a former vic, but he knew it would never amount to much. They talked for an hour, when she announced, out of the blue, she had to get back home.

"I moved you know. Too many bad memories, and I don't want to associate with any of Daniel's friends or anything that has to do with him for that matter."

"I know what you mean." he admitted as they walked up to her building.

"You know, Elliot, I was married once…"

"Yeah?" Elliot asked surprised.

"Yup. My high school sweetheart. We were married for ten years, even trying for a baby."

She stopped without saying what happened, and Elliot didn't ask.

"Lets just say he turned out to be someone I didn't know anymore. He was this big exec in some boring office building, and he fell for an 18 year old secretary. So cliché, I know…"

"So you got divorced?"

"No…I didn't know what was going on, no matter how obvious it was; you know the typical late nights, vacations to Miami, and his lack of attention for me…But anyway, they were driving back from the Hamptons one weekend, when I was told he was going to Boston for a business meeting. They ended up crashing head on into a telephone pole at 95 miles an hour, and she was pregnant. Talk about Karma…"

Elliot was shocked. Laura was obviously still scarred from everything that happened to her, but still carried a smile on her face. Elliot felt like explaining his situation with Kathy, but somehow, he couldn't come up with the words.

"Well, home sweet home", she unlocked her apartment door. "Thanks again Elliot, for everything, this was really fun…I know there's rules about detectives and…"

"Yea…." he knew what she meant.

Elliot didn't hear from Laura for two weeks following their get-together, he guessed everything was going well for her. One person he did hear from though, was Kathy. She hadn't come across his mind since they last talked on the phone, and the divorce would be final in six months. It had been about two months since they slept together. "I bet its about the damn house…"

"Hello." he answered trying to keep his cool.

"Hello." she said back. "It's me…."

"I know."

"I'll take the house…"

"I said that was out of the question…"

"Elliot…I'm talking about the house across the street. I think we should be friends, and its good for the kids to know we're on good terms. Plus, they'll be right across the street so they can come to and fro…"

"Kathy, lets be real here…You don't work fulltime, and there is no way in hell I'll be able to pay for two mortgages and Maureen's college tuition."

"Elliot, don't worry, I've got it all worked out…"

Elliot knew her motives were sincere, but her credentials were sketchy. "And what made you change your mind, I ask?"

"Anthony…"

"Who?"

"Elliot, that's the other thing…"

"Wait? You're back with him!"

"Elliot…let me explain…"

"Please do!"

"That night we slept together, I swear, I felt a connection. I really thought we could work things out. And you shut me out. I met Anthony a few days after, and we clicked. I'm not in love with him or anything, but he said he's looking for a house and I proposed we'd live together…"

Elliot was speechless.

"So…" Kathy continued, "…he says he's got everything under control…"

"I see….So that's it? All your problems are solved I guess…"

"No….I don't love him, Elliot. I still love you…"

"Kathy, please…." Elliot became frustrated. "I loved you up until the day I found out you were fooling around. My trust has completely been shattered…You know that right!"

No answer.

"Right!"

"I'm pregnant…"

It was Elliot this time that didn't answer. "Wait, what?" he finally managed to say.

"I didn't get my period, so I took a pregnancy about three weeks ago and it came out positive. I thought it could be a fluke, so I went to the doctor and it turns out I'm pregnant."

"And it's his? Holy shit Kathy, you're amazing…."

"Well, I dunno about that one…"

"What do you mean?"

"Anthony and I have always used protection, Elliot. I was on the pill before we broke up and then I stopped taking it after we broke up, but we had sex one last time before it was "officially" over. Then me and you slept together. So that's my dilemma…."

"What the hell is happening!" Elliot said out loud. "What is this, high school?"

"Elliot, you're the only one who knows I'm pregnant…"

"Does he know what happened with us?"

"Anthony? No…Nobody knows…I can't tell him, he's buying my house…"

"You're using him….I see what's going on, Kath…"

"Elliot, he's a good guy."

"If you don't tell him it could be mine, then I will…."

"That's entrapment."

"Tough. You've trapped me for the past six months…"

"I'm getting rid of it…"

"Are you serious Kathy? Christ…"

"Elliot, I'm forty…I have four children, and an estranged husband who…"

"Oh no, no, no…don't use me as an excuse to have an abortion…"

"Will you come with me then? To the clinic?"

Elliot felt like he was slapped in the face twice; not only was Kathy pregnant, she was considering having an abortion. So much for the All-American, devout Catholic, soccer Mom she had portrayed for years. Elliot was disgusted; he was against abortion, and the thought of Kathy doing such a thing compelled him to slam the phone back on the receiver.

"Of course…" he complied, even though it didn't feel like him saying that.

"God, how is this happening…" she started to break down over the phone. Elliot felt himself come over with emotion. For the first time since he found out she was cheating on him, Elliot felt sympathy for Kathy.

"It's gonna be alright. When are you going to….to uh….to get it done?"

"Tuesday, nine in the morning…" she sobbed.

"I'll pick you up…I'm sure Cragen will let me off for once…"

"Thank You, Elliot…"

"Alright, then…"

"Elliot…."

"Yea?"

"I'm sorry…"

"Alright, then…" he repeated, and hung up the phone.


	10. A Trapdoor in the Ceiling

**A/N: For a lack of a better phrase, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well to tell you the truth I'm having a bit of writer's block with this one, so I really need your guys' inspiration, comments, and ideas. Let me know how you like, there's a lot of different directions I'm looking at right now. (PS This chapter is vague purposely you'll see why later on)**

"Captain…" Elliot began, closing the office door behind him. "I need to ask you a favor…"

"No problem Detective, I'm always here…"

"I'm gonna need to take this Tuesday off, sir…"

"Look, Elliot. I understand that this is a difficult time…"

"This isn't about me, sir…"

"I was just gonna say, take all the time off you need…"

"Oh…thank you…"

"No problem…in the meantime, get downtown, Olivia and Munch are already down there surveying the scene."

"Thanks again, Captain…" Elliot replied, somberly, but with gratitude. It was back to work, once again. It occurred to Elliot that, ironically, although his job was to help save lives, he was helping Kathy deprive a life. He didn't care if it was his child or Anthony's, but it was too late. The appointment was made and Kathy was headstrong.

"Hey, Elliot…" Olivia greeted him as he arrived downtown.

"Hey, what do we got here?" he asked.

"Munch is interviewing witnesses. Girl was attacked in broad daylight by what appears to be a homeless man."

"Oh Goody." Elliot sarcastically replied. "Welcome to the Real World."

"Exactly…girl was sent to the hospital, they're conducting a rape kit right now, so all we've got is time." Olivia smiled. "Wanna grab a coffee?"

"I'd love to…" he replied smiling back at her. They walked down the street to the nearest Starbucks, and grabbed the only available table left. Elliot wiped the coffee stain off with his bare hand.

"So, how's the…"

"Kathy's pregnant." he announced.

Olivia stared out the window, and her eyes slowing glanced over to Elliot. She was shocked. "Oh shit, Elliot…." she replied, feeling as if she was just hit by a stray bullet. "I dunno what to tell you, I mean…"

"It might be mine…"

"Congratulations?" she offered sarcastically.

"She's having an abortion…"

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry…" she replied caressing his cold hand. Immediately, he felt his blood circulate throughout his body. A flood of silence engulfed their conversation, and Elliot grew increasingly uncomfortable.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"What am I supposed to say, Elliot? I was just about to ask you how your weekend was and you slam me with this?! Are you gonna let her go through with this if it could be yours?"

"It's her body…"

"Wait…so you guys slept with together?"

"It was that night me and you were supposed to meet up for drinks and you didn't show. I was wasted, and she was at my house and we had sex…That was it…We're not getting back together, even if the baby is mine…"

"You didn't use a condom?"

"No, Liv, I was drunk."

"She didn't think of one then?"

"She says she still loves me…"

"Maybe you guys should give it another go, then…"

"No, no…definitely not…"

"Well, maybe this is a sign. Look, Elliot, we all make mistakes…"

"She's still seeing the bastard!"

"Oh…oh, I see…Have you ever thought of dating again?"

"Of course. But, I'm not really interested in anyone in particular…" he lied.

"Anyways, we better get back to work…" They finished their coffees and headed back outside. They found their suspect, and called it a day.

Tuesday came, and Elliot was a nervous wreck. He pulled into Kathy's mother's driveway; it was decorated by the picturesque scene of falling leaves. He walked slowly to the door, but Kathy was two steps ahead of him, as usual, and saw him pull into the driveway.

"This day can't get any worse…" Kathy greeted him as they walked toward his car.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Anthony…" she replied.

"He still doesn't know you're pregnant?"

"No one does, except you…" she replied. Elliot pulled out of the driveway, and the forty five minute drive into Manhattan was a quiet one. As Elliot parked outside the clinic, there was no doubt in his mind that Kathy did her research. The clinic was in an upscale neighborhood, and as they entered the office, everything was pristine.

"Mrs. Stabler, the doctor will see you in a couple of minutes. Please make yourself comfortable…" the secretary told her. Kathy smiled and took a seat next to Elliot. "Mrs. Stabler" Elliot laughed in his head. He didn't ask her if she was sure she wanted to go through with the whole thing; she had her mind already made up. A couple of minutes later, a nurse called Kathy in, and Elliot sat in silence.

When Kathy emerged from the office, Elliot wasn't there, and according to the secretary he was downstairs getting a coffee. The truth of the matter was, he couldn't stand the office; the cleanliness of the floor, the shine off the tables in the waiting room, the pictures of the pretty models on the walls. It was all fake, it was despicable to him. The cold autumn wind blew through him as Kathy joined him outside. He turned to her and she shook her head. "She couldn't go through with?" he asked himself, "maybe she isn't made of stone after all."

She said nothing...

And collapsed into his arms.


End file.
